Murder on our Hands
by Whiitewolf
Summary: Follow the team as they tackle one of their most intense cases yet. Just when they think they have everything figured out, things change and they are forced to remember things are not always as they seem. Case-fic, no pairings. Co-written with the wonderful theCompositionNotebook
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **_This fic is an idea that SpencerReidFan7 and I came up with. We will be co writing this together, and I hope you guys enjoy it._

_And despite my love for JJ and Hotch there will be no pairings in this fic! Strictly canon._

**Disclaimer: **_We do not in any way shape or form own Criminal Minds. As much as we wish we did..._

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_Screams. Screams of fear, pain and despair could reach his ears. Luckily, the sound proofing only allowed him that pleasure. The neighbours had no idea what was going on. Nor would they. They were his. They were his to use in any way he pleased. Their life was in his hands. It was a feeling that no one could comprehend. He was playing God with their lives, and it gave him such a feeling of power, he just had to keep it up. He couldn't stop._

* * *

Ashley tugged at her ropes, glancing over at the other girl. She was still out cold.

They had to get out of here. She'd seen on the news, the faces of the missing girls. Girls exactly like her. They all shared her blonde hair, blue eyes, and the similar figure. She'd heard the warnings but she hadn't taken it seriously. She'd never thought it could happen to her. Yet... here she was. Her _face_ was twisted in concentration, the silent tears still sliding down her cheeks as she tried again to tug the ropes loose. Her hands had become numb from her fruitless attempts.

A frustrated sob escaped her lips as she stomped her tied feet on the ground. She was losing hope, and fast. How much longer would he wait upstairs? How much longer until he finished them off? The stained blood on her clothes reeked, and she could taste it in her mouth. It was completely disgusting, making her want to gag.

She took in the sight of the other girl while she took in a few deep breaths to try and calm down. Her hair was a tangled mess, her own clothes were covered in blood as well, and she looked exhausted. It was almost like looking into a mirror. _Breathe in. Breathe out. _She had to calm down. If she didn't, then she'd lose all the chances she had of getting out of this mess.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cold concrete wall. _In. Out._

She thought back to a few hours previously. She'd just been on her daily jog, running in one of the more secluded areas of the park. When suddenly, something, or someone huge flew out of a clump of trees at her, knocking her to the ground. Before she could even react, a damp cloth was pressed up against her nose. She'd tried to fight it off, clawing at the hand holding it there. But it made her feel weak, and everything suddenly got blurry. Her head was spinning. She tried to fight off the darkness edging around her vision, and the white spots dancing in front of her eyes, but she couldn't. Her limbs stopped working. And her world went completely black.

Then, ten minutes ago, she'd woken up in this _hell_.

A sudden, small noise alerted her. Her head shot up and her eyes snapped open. She realized that the other girl was stirring. As she awoke, she seemed to be trying to take in what was going on, her eyes opening wider and wider. The fear. It was all over her face.

"Hey, please stay calm," Ashley said quietly, looking over at her.

"Where am I?" the terrified voice squeaked.

"I'm not sure. But listen. We have to remain calm if we're going to get out of here. What's your name?"

"S-s-s-s-Sam," she stuttered, swallowing slowly.

"I'm Ashley," Ashley said, trying to use a soothing tone, despite the hammering of her heart. "Listen Sam, do you think you could get the ropes around your hands off? That way we could get out of here. I've been trying mine for a while, but I'm not getting anywhere."

"Y-yeah, I'll try," Sam said, her voice coming out oddly strangled.

The two girls didn't speak much for the next ten minutes. They'd occasionally ask how the other was doing, but other than that, it was silent in the basement. Ashley let out a sob again. She hadn't made any progress, her ropes were too tight. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere, she realized she had gotten absolutely nowhere.

"I've almost got it!" Sam suddenly said, a hint of hope in her voice.

Ashley froze, and watched Sam carefully. _Oh please, let her have it. _It felt as if her heart had stopped for a brief second when she saw Sam's arms break free and the rope tumble softly to the ground. The seconds dragged on as Sam set to work at untying her feet.

"Hang on," Sam told her. The tears had stopped spilling now.

It took longer than Ashley would have liked but she didn't dare complain, and she managed to settle her heart down as Sam came rushing over to her to untie her.

"Oh thank god, thank you," Ashley said quietly.

Once she was free, she didn't give herself long to enjoy the new freedom. She met Sam's eyes and they began pushing the couch over on the other side of the basement, to the small window up near the top.

"Help me up, then I can pull you, too," Sam suggested, her voice trembling.

Ashley would have argued, she was very eager to leave. But it did appear Sam had more upper body strength than her. And it would be hard for her to pull Sam up. She slowly nodded.

That's when the worst happened. As they stepped up onto the couch, Sam knocked over a stack of boxes. She heard the glass inside shatter. _Loudly_.

Both girls froze, making horrified eye contact. Ashley's heart thumped, she held her breath, and she hoped to high heaven that he hadn't heard anything. But that's when they heard the footsteps start upstairs.

"Hurry!" Ashley cried out, trying to lift Sam up to the window. The latch was luckily easy to undo, and it slid open quickly. But as Sam crawled through, she heard the footsteps reach the door to the basement.

She reached down to pull Ashley up, whom was trembling head to foot. But it was too late. He was there, and had her by her legs. He was dragging her back off of the couch, though she was still attempting to hold fast to the window sill. Shaking her head, Sam mouthed 'I'm sorry' before she pulled herself up off the ground, turning and running.

She didn't know where she was running, but she did run. It was daylight and she didn't allow times for eyes to adjust. It was too bright. she couldn't see anything. She definitely didn't see him, the man she ran into. A scream left her lips, and she raised her arms up defensively. But it wasn't _him_. It was a random stranger.

His big brown eyes looked down on her, "Are you okay? What's going on?"

With a shaky voice she told him what was going on, and then everything happened so fast.

* * *

Detective Williamson arrived at the scene, jumping out of her cruiser and heading towards the house. She stopped when she noticed the bright yellow crime scene tape that had been put up.

"I thought we were on a rescue mission," she said aloud, her brows connecting as she took in the scene carefully.

"We were too late," came the disappointed voice of an officer off to her left.

"Damn it," she said, shaking her head. That's when she saw the body bag coming out of the house. That made four girls in three months.

She knew it was time to call them in.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	2. New Case

**Author's Note: Thank you guys for all the alerts/reviews and favourites. We apologize for the delay, but schedules clash sometimes. Here's our next chapter!**

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Reid stepped into the Bullpen, smiling a little bit as he sat down at his desk. He was the second one there, as usual. Only Hotch ever beat him to work. Hotch looked up from the work he had on his desk and Reid offered him a small smile and a wave, which was returned as a nod before he bent back over the papers.

Reid threw his bag on the ground next to his desk, pulling a few of the stacked up files towards him. He was just finishing up the first one when Dave walked through the Bullpen up towards his office, and the third one was being put in the done pile as Emily came and sat down at her desk. She was closely followed by JJ, who appeared halfway through file number five. Around file seven, Morgan strolled in, accompanied by a peppy Garcia. He greeted them all as they came in, grinning as he exchanged greetings.

Three hours later, the pile of finished files on his desk was just inching taller than the pile he had yet to do. Reid threw down his pen and stretched a little bit, leaning back in his chair. After a few seconds, he stood up, intending to go and refresh his coffee.

He passed by JJ and Emily, who were in conversation about their previous night of shopping. "Hey, Reid, hold on a second!" JJ called as he smiled at them on his way by.

"Yeah?" he asked, backtracking a few steps to Emily's desk, where the two were sitting.

"I saw this shirt last night when we were out, and I couldn't resist," JJ said, pulling a bag out from under the desk.

Reid set his cup down on the desk as he took the bag from her, opening it and pulling out a soft purple t-shirt. He unfolded it and saw that printed on the front in big white letters was 'CERTIFIED GENIUS'. There was even an arrow that pointed upwards toward his head. He smiled at it as JJ and Emily both started giggling.

"I saw it and immediately thought of you, Spence," JJ said having settled down. He laughed a little bit and took off his sweater vest, and instead pulled the new shirt over his head.

"That's perfect," Emily informed him, grinning widely. Reid chuckled again.

"Thanks guys. I love it," he said happily. "Listen, I was just gonna go over to the break room to get some fresh coffee, you want to come along?"

"We're alright, but thanks," Emily said, and JJ nodded in agreement.

"Okay, thanks again!" he said, picking up his coffee cup and he resumed on his way, laughing again as he looked at the shirt.

"What's the matter, that big brain of yours need a break? And what are you wearing?" Morgan called from the catwalk as Reid stepped onto it, smirking a little. Reid smiled.

"No, I'm just going to go get fresh coffee. And JJ and Emily got it for me," he said, rolling his eyes.

"That's fantastic. And if you hold on a second. I'll come with," Morgan said, slipping back into his office and grabbing his cup.

They started walking down the hall towards the break room, chatting amiably, before a door flew open in front of them, halting them in their tracks. Hotch came walking quickly out of his office.

"Hotch, man, what's up?" Morgan asked as he passed them.

"We caught another case," he said solemnly. His expression clearly showed that it was a bad one. His eyes flicked over to Reid's shirt, but it was a mark of his seriousness that he didn't comment on it. He kept walking, going to collect the other members of the team.

Reid looked over to Morgan and they silently agreed, walking down a different hallway than they'd planned to get to the Conference room. They settled themselves down at the table, waiting for the rest of the team to step through the door. They were silent now, the weight of the new case stopping the conversations.

After a minute, the rest of the team walked in and sat down around the table as well. They each exchanged knowing glances as they waited for Hotch to walk in, followed by Garcia. Even she was walking solemnly, the usual smile she wore gone. She managed a little one as she saw what Reid was wearing, but it quickly vanished.

She picked up the clicker as Hotch sat down. "In the last three months, four women have been found murdered in Seattle, Washington. The first victim was Mallory Wilkins, twenty three. She was found dumped in a field a few miles outside of the city."

Garcia clicked the little remote and two pictures showed up on the screen. The first of a pretty blonde woman with blue eyes, the second of the crime scene photo. She was covered in slashes and blood.

"The second and third victims, Caitlyn Vance and Cassandra Slater, twenty seven and twenty four, were both found a few miles around in that area. Second victim was found a month after the third, then the third two weeks later," Garcia said sadly, not looking over at the screen as she kept clicking.

The pictures showed up as Garcia talked, and they saw that each of the women was blonde and blue eyed, the same as the first. The crime scene photos were also very similar, though they appeared to become more and more aggressive.

"This UnSub obviously targets women similar in looks," Rossi stated.

"Blonde, blue eyes, thin, basically pretty," Morgan said, looking through the photos.

"And he's speeding up his time between kills," Reid observed.

"And yesterday night, the last murdered victim was found in the same manner as the first three. Ashley Donovan, twenty two," Garcia said sadly. "Only a week later after the third victim."

"But there was another girl who got away last night," JJ said, surprised. "Samantha Turner."

"So he abducted two women at once?" Prentiss asked, flipping through a file.

"But that doesn't fit with the profile," Reid pointed out. "He hasn't taken two girls except for the last abduction."

"He could be escalating," Morgan suggested.

"But that doesn't fit either. These kills are obviously personal to him. He's abducting girls with very specific looks. He'd want to spend as much time with each girl as he could. He couldn't be as personal if he had two girls at once," Hotch said.

"So why did he have a second girl?" JJ asked.

"That's what we're going to find out," Hotch answered. "Wheels up in thirty."

They all got up from the table slowly, packing up their things. Reid grabbed his coffee cup and took it back to his desk, grabbing his go-bag from the bottom drawer.

He took off the t-shirt and put his sweater vest back on, deciding it best to look more professional. He followed Morgan out to the jet a few minutes later, preparing for the long ride out to Washington.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! We want to take the time to thank you for all your reviews/alerts/favourites and all that jazz. We really do appreciate each and every one! And they brighten our day.**

* * *

"Thank you," JJ murmured quietly taking the warm cup off coffee from Emily as she passed by in the aisle.

Emily smiled at her before taking a seat next to Rossi, whom was sitting just across from JJ and Hotch.

"Have you found anything, Garcia?" Hotch asked, his eyes focused on the large screen.

There was a moment of silence before her abnormally solemn voice spoke up. "I'm sorry, sir. I haven't found a connection between the victims yet. I've looked at churches, work, activities and I've come up dry. They don't even shop at the same grocery store."

A frown appeared on Aaron's face as he watched her closely. There had to be some sort of connection, and he was sure with more digging she would find it.

"I'll keep looking, sir," Garcia said determinedly, having seen the unit chief's expression.

Hotch nodded, before turning back to the team. His turned his gaze towards Reid and Morgan, whom both appeared to be deep in thought. He could practically see the gears turning in Reid's mind. There was a slight feeling of concern when he saw the obvious emotion on Reid's face.

"That girl who survived, what was her name?" Emily asked, flipping open one of the case files.

"Samantha Turner," JJ answered as she too began looking over the files.

"We need to figure out what is was about her and the other girl from last night's abduction that was special. That could tell us a lot," Morgan informed them. There were a few seconds where everyone registered his words as true.

"Alright, Morgan, you and Reid go interview our survivor," Hotch spoke up, fracturing the silence, "Rossi and Emily go check the crime scene. JJ and I will go set up at the station."

There was a series of nods throughout the room, and Reid snapped his folder shut, still thinking hard. Something was bothering him about this case, besides the obvious, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. This bothered him more than he'd like to let on.

JJ pulled her knees up to prop her feet on the seat while carefully avoiding everyone's eyes. Hotch had figured it out last time, why she was so bothered when a case like this one had come up. She made a silent promise to herself to not let this get to her this time. But already she could feel their gazes on her. In an attempt to appear normal and collected she took another sip of her coffee.

* * *

He stared at the screen thoughtfully, his mind still on how badly things had gone last time. That hadn't been how it was supposed to happen. Rotating his neck slightly, he heard it crack. That was fine though. He could recover. He just needed a new victim, a new catch. And as he scrolled down the screen with his mouse, a picture caught his eye. Not even hesitating, he clicked, bringing himself to her profile.

_Taylor White_

_Single and looking_

_23_

_Seeking friendship, casual dating and possible long term._

_Non-smoker, no kids, likes to drink socially_

_Hi there! My name is Taylor as I'm sure you've already noticed. I'm looking for something casual right now but who's to write off anything serious if I find the right person? I enjoy going out to dinner, seeing movies and I even like to go bowling. I'm currently single and have no kids. My interests include: shopping, movies, drinking and going to clubs._

_My friends consider me to be kind of a wild girl but I beg to differ. I like to have a good time, who doesn't? I also believe in taking risks. Life is short. You need to take a few risks. Otherwise, what's the point? To lead a boring existence? I will never say no to trying new things. Why bash something you've never tried?_

_I'm considered impulsive and I live in the moment. I'd like to get to know you! Drop me a line._

_SEEKING IN A PARTNER: Between 20 and 30. Brown hair and blue eyes. Over 5'11. Enjoys partying and dancing. Is upfront, and knows how to take control. A bit impulsive and accepting._

A smile crossed over his features. Already his gaze lingered on her photo and he touched his fingers to the screen. Taylor White. She was what he was looking for. Her blonde hair flowed down nicely around her face, and her smile seemed genuine. He could practically see the sparkle in her blue eyes. And if she was looking for someone in control? He scoffed. This was one of those moments where one should be careful what they asked for.

Leaning back, he tilted his head to the side curiously before setting to work creating a new profile. It was too easy to gain the trust of a girl on the internet. And then to arrange a meeting? Most of them didn't care about the rules of safety, like meeting in a public place. It was easy to convince the girls to allow him to pick them up or to meet at a private location.

It took a few minutes but soon it was complete. It took longer to find an appropriate picture than it did to fill in the profile information. But after awhile, he found one he knew she'd be attracted to. In fact, he'd be sure it'd be all she'd look at. He even made sure to have more than one picture as to be careful not to arouse suspicion.

Switching tabs, he found himself looking at her picture again. He could already feel that urge... That twisted desire...

He paused momentarily before clicking the 'Private Message,' button. He set to work writing up a response. He knew all the right things to say. This had become a second nature to him. He'd done this several times before, and he knew what to say to get the girls to respond.

_'Hello Taylor,_

_My name is Robert Price. I'm a Professor at the University here. I'm twenty nine years old and your profile caught my attention immediately. You seem absolutely perfect. I do agree about living in the moment. Sometimes it's good to plan ahead but you can't just exist in life, you need to live. We all die, but not all of us really live._

_I enjoy dancing and having a good time. I like to act on impulse and seldom think things through, though I really should. I'm a very accepting individual and would really like the chance to get to know you!_

_I enjoy reading, drinking and going out to the movies. It seems we have a lot in common! I have a picture on my profile if you're interested, and I'd really appreciate if you'd take the time to message me back._

_You are stunningly beautiful and I would be flattered if you'd even give a guy like me the time of day!_

_- Robert Price'_

A smug smile appeared on his face. Flattery always worked. He knew the picture on his profile was attractive, and he knew she'd message him back in an instant. He just had to wait. And he was good at waiting. It made it all the more exciting.

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**Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated. We have a few twists in store for you guys!**

**Oh, and SpencerReidFan7 changed her name to TheCompositionNotebook just so you know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry about the delay guys! **

**We hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

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Morgan and Reid walked slowly down the hallway until they found the appropriate apartment door. Morgan knocked a few times, and they heard a woman call "Coming!" from inside. After a few seconds the door opened up and a pretty blonde woman was looking back at them. From the look in her eyes, they could tell she wasn't surprised to see them. It appeared she'd been expecting them.

"Samantha Turner?" Morgan asked. At her affirmative nod, he said, "My name is Derek Morgan, and this is Doctor Reid. We're from the FBI. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about what happened last night?"

"Of course," she said immediately. "Please come in."

They followed her in through the door and into the living room and they took a seat on her squishy sofa. "Can I get you anything? Water, tea?" she asked. Though she tried to hide it, Derek could tell she felt uncomfortable. He couldn't blame her. That was perfectly normal. There was a hint of fear on her face, and he hoped they could get this over with for her. She'd been through enough and didn't need to relive this.

"No thank you, we're alright," Morgan said with Reid agreeing. She sat down in an armchair across from them. "Now, can you tell us about what you remember?"

She gave an uneasy nod. "I… I remember, I was just walking up the walkway to the apartment building, when suddenly, something hit me over the head and I just blacked out. And when I woke up, I was lying with my wrists ankles bound on the floor in some basement, and there was this other girl there. She said her name was Ashley."

"So you'd never met her before?" Reid asked quickly, his eyes scanning her apartment.

"No, I hadn't seen her before in my life," Sam said. "She… she was crying. And she asked if I could get the ropes off. We both sat there trying for a while. I'm not sure how long."

Morgan and Reid could both see that she was very upset, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt and looking at the floor. A loud noise came from one of the neighboring apartments and she jumped, looking around wildly. It was obvious she'd suffered trauma.

"Samantha, it's alright. You're doing great," Morgan said comfortingly.

She looked up at them for a second, mumbling, "Please, you can call me Sam."

"Okay, Sam. What else can you tell us?"

"Um, after a while I managed to get the ropes around my wrists off. And as soon as I got myself untied, I went and untied Ashley too. We figured that our best chance of escape was through the little window, so we pushed an old couch over to it and climbed up. I… I suggested that she help me through first and I'd pull her up after me," Sam said, her voice beginning to tremble.

"Okay. And Ashley agreed?" Morgan asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. But, when she was boosting me up, I accidentally knocked over a stack of boxes. And they crashed down really loudly. We… we heard him start coming downstairs. As soon as I got out I turned around to help her up, but… he was there. And he was grabbing her. She was so afraid and I just left her there," Sam said, letting out a small sob. She crossed her arms tightly to her chest.

Reid stood up and grabbed a box of tissues off of the coffee table and handed her one. She took it and wiped her eyes a little bit as Reid sat back down. "Could you tell us anything about what the UnSub looked like?" he asked.

"The what?" she asked, sniffing a little and looking confused.

"Sorry, sorry, UnSub is short for the Unknown Subject, it's what we call the criminal, the bad guy," Reid explained quickly, trying not to distract from the task at hand.

"Oh," she said. "I didn't really see him. I was too focused on getting Ashley out with me. But… he pulled her away from me. She was so afraid and I just left her there with him."

"It's okay, Sam. You did what you could. If you hadn't left when you did he probably would have killed you too," Morgan said.

She nodded slowly, still dabbing at the tears in her eyes. "I know. But I still feel like I could have done a lot more to help her than just running away. I was just so scared... But she must have been too and I just left her."

"It's not your fault she died. It's no one's fault but the man who murdered her and abducted you both," Morgan informed her, feeling a wave of sympathy for the girl. "Did Ashley say anything else?"

"No. All we talked about was getting free and getting out of there," Sam said. She pulled her knees up onto her chest, hugging them tightly. Morgan and Reid looked at one another, both knowing they probably weren't going to get much more from her. She was much too upset.

"Okay. Thank you, Sam. You've been a great help," Morgan said as they stood up to take their leave.

"Are you going to catch him?" she asked, looking up at them.

"We're sure as hell going to try," Morgan said firmly. She nodded again.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Of course. If you remember anything, just give me a call," Morgan said, handing her a card with his number on it.

"I will."

"Alright. We'll show ourselves out," Morgan said kindly. Reid waved as they walked towards the door, letting themselves out into the hallway and shutting the door behind themselves.

"Poor girl," Morgan mumbled under his breath as he started to walk towards the stairs. "She's been through hell."

* * *

'_Hey Robert!_

_You sound like a fantastic guy. Just what I've been looking for! It's nice to know that there are decent guys out there, (you seem like one!) I think we'd get along wonderfully. What do you say we meet each other and go out sometime? Soon? I understand if you'd rather get to know me more first. _

_-Taylor ;)'_

He smirked as he leaned back in his chair. It was just the response he knew he'd get. He was a pro at this, after all. She'd fallen into his trap, just like so many others had.

He cracked his knuckles before typing up his response, asking if tomorrow night would be alright. It was barely a minute later when she responded agreeing. And she'd even sent her address so he could pick her up. Perfect.

He printed off her picture and tacked it to the board hanging on the wall. The board that held so many others. The board holding all of the faces of the women he'd killed.

* * *

Pulling a brush eagerly through her hair, Taylor smiled at her reflection. She had been a bit uneasy about meeting someone online but her friend had encouraged her and right now, she was happy she listened. Her and Robert had spoken briefly on the phone and she already felt the goosebumps on her arms. He sounded so perfect... Just what she was looking for and a part of her was nervous she wouldn't meet his expectations.

A frown overcame her pretty features as she titled her head to the side. What if she wasn't good enough? She quickly dismissed the thought. She barely knew this guy. If this didn't go as well tonight, it wasn't the end of the world. What was the worst that could happen?

It was then that the doorbell rang, interrupting all her thoughts and worries. He was here. Giving herself one last glance in the mirror, she brushed off her shirt with her hands.

"Just a second," she called out, reaching to grab her coat and purse. She was going to enjoy tonight, no matter what happened. In her mind, she deserved to have a little fun and that was just what she was going to do.

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**Thank you so much for taking the time to read! And we hope you continue to do so.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **_We really want to thank you guys for all your reviews and apologize for the delay in between updates._

* * *

As they approached the station, Hotch was well aware of the growing tension on JJ's face. However, before he could say anything a brunette came rushing down the steps to meet them.

"You must be them," she remarked casually, coming to a quick stop in front of them.

Hotch recognized the look in her eyes. There was a killer in her town, and she was angry although very determined. He just hoped that her over enthusiastic approach wouldn't affect their ability to perform their job as well as they intended.

"I'm Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Jareau," he said nodding towards JJ, whom was already walking up the steps, having decided to skip the introduction.

"Detective Williamson." She took the hand he offered and shook it quickly before glancing at the other Agent's retreating back, giving Hotch a quizzical look.

"She's just wants to get started," he replied following up the steps, the concern growing on his face. Carefully, he pushed aside that worry and knew the best thing for JJ right now was to get to work on this case.

JJ's eyes flickered around the small station, taking even the smallest details in. "Is there a place for us to set up?" she asked, speaking to the Detective for the first time.

Still a bit shocked, Detective Williamson nodded as she came in the door behind them. She gestured to a space in the corner, which contained a table and a few chairs. It was the only place in the chaos that was neat and tidy, and relatively untouched it appeared.

They were used to having their own room but JJ didn't complain, it was a small station and she'd take what she could get.

"Let's get started," she said anxiously heading towards the table to set her things down.

"She seems determined," Williamson commented casually.

"She is," Hotch agreed, a hint of worry flashing across his face again. "We'll need all your files brought over as soon as possible."

"Right away," the Detective agreed, leaving to allow the two Agents to get to work. She had faith in their abilities and hoped that together they could solve this awful case.

* * *

She stirred. Her bright blue eyes slowly opening, the pain on her head making itself known almost at once.

"Oh god, where am I?" she mumbled. The fear began to rise in her the second she realized her arms were bound as well as her legs.

"It's about time you woke up," the low voice told her causing goosebumps to appear on her skin.

Taylor let out a shaky breath. "Who are you?" she demanded harshly, attempting to sound brave. She failed miserably at this, though the tone of her voice made him laugh. It was so pitiful...

"Is this too fast for a first date?" he asked, his eyebrows rising. "I thought you liked someone that took control."

"Robert?" she said slowly, her voice cracking.

"Sure, that's the name you know me by..." He shrugged, tilting his head to the side to take in her reaction, to take in her fear. It was what he thrived for.

The tears trickled slowly down her cheeks, causing her eyes to become a more vibrant shade of blue. He enjoyed this part much too much. It'd be coming any second. The begging.

"Is this a joke?" she asked hopefully. Shifting herself in order to try and ease her discomfort, her eyes scanned the room they were in. It was dark, damp and cold. She couldn't make out much, though she tried.

"A joke that involves me hitting you over the head, dragging you out to my car, gagging you and throwing you in my trunk? Oh, and of course let's not forget the part where you wake up bound. A joke?" He shook his head at her hope and her stupidity.

"Why are you doing this?" she choked out, anxiously trying to free herself.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you the safety steps of meeting someone on the internet?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "Always meet them in a public place preferably with a friend and never ever give them your home address for one."

Taylor began to sob, and though he didn't speak the corners of his lips twitched. He took a minute to savour the sounds of her pain.

"Okay, you're right. I've learnt my lesson," she said her voice forcefully calm. She frantically nodded her head, though the tears still fell. "I'll know that for next time."

He let out a cold laugh again. Watching them hope was almost as much fun as the actual torture. "There won't be a next time."

"What?" she broke off. "Oh, no... no, no, no. You don't have to do this. Really." The terror in her voice, and the high pitched tone... He sighed in content.

He arched his eyebrows at her, not bothering to hide the amusement on his face. It was always the same. The same questions, statements and pleads.

"I know I don't have to. I don't need you to tell me that."

"Then why?" she asked in between sobs.

"I want to," he said dismissively. "I do what I want."

"I won't tell anyone," she continued to plead. Her thoughts wandered to her sister, her parents, and her friends. Her body began to tremble. Would she ever see them again? Was there even a chance of that? Her heart hammered painfully in her chest, pounding loudly in her ears sounding much like the beating of drums. It kept growing louder... and louder.

He leaned forward from his chair towards where she was placed on the floor to catch one of her tears before it fell. "That may be true, but it doesn't change anything. Don't worry about this yet. You still have a couple days. We have some fun to have first." He paused to pretend to think. "Actually, you should worry. Dying now would be considered merciful for you, considering what's in store."

Taylor's eyes widened when she saw him pull out the hunting knife. And she pulled even harder at her ropes.

"It's no use," he said rolling her eyes.

"That may be true, but it doesn't change anything," she remarked ignoring the bemusement on his face when she repeated his phrase back to him, "I have to try."

"They always do," he responded finally standing up, the large hunting knife clearly visible and he grinned again, watching her cower in terror.

* * *

"Whose house is this?" Emily asked walking across the lawn and ignoring all the people huddled together as close as they could get to the crime scene tape.

"A small family, currently out of the country," Dave replied, pausing on the front steps.

"He's clearly done his research," she said tilting examining the environment as they entered the home. "You'd expect a guy like him to have his own torture chamber and kill room."

"The other victims were killed in their homes but he chose a different location for this one."

"Was it because he had two girls?" Emily said voicing her thoughts out loud.

"That's a possibility," Dave agreed though he doubted this. Their killer was very organized, bringing his own kill kit. What went wrong here? He'd slipped up. But why?

"She was killed right here." Emily came to a stop in the basement, her eyes trailing over the scene from the boxes to the couch and she turned away when she saw the evidence of the escape attempt.

"All our other victims were tortured for days. He didn't get that time with Ashley. He was forced to kill her quickly."

"He's probably already got another victim. He didn't get his time with her. With either of them. He'd need to get another girl," Emily voiced, feeling sick at the thought.

"Then let's get to work," Rossi said, now looking at the full scene in order to try and picture what took place.

Emily nodded. They'd catch this guy. They had to.

* * *

_Thank you for reading, and we hope to have another update up soon. _

_We're very excited now that we're starting to get into the story. _


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